Many works of fantasy operate using these tropes, while others use them in a revisionist manner, making the tropes over for various reasons such as for comic effect, and to create something fresh (a method that often generates new clichés).[1]

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The conflict of good against evil is a theme in the many popular forms of fantasy; normally, evil characters erupt from their lands to invade and disrupt the good characters' lands.[2]J. R. R. Tolkien delved into the nature of good and evil in The Lord of the Rings, but many of those who followed him use the conflict as a plot device, and often do not distinguish the sides by their behavior.[3] In some works, mostly notably in sword and sorcery, evil is not opposed by the unambiguously good but by the morally unreliable.[4]

Heroic characters are a mainstay of fantasy, particularly high fantasy and sword and sorcery.[citation needed] Such characters are capable of more than ordinary behavior, physically, morally, or both.[5] Sometimes they might have to grow into the role ordained for them.[6] This may take the form of maturation,[7] which is often through Coming of Age.

Many protagonists are, unknown to themselves, of royal blood.[citation needed] Even in so fanciful a tale as Through the Looking-Glass, Alice is made a queen in the end; this can serve as a symbolic recognition of the inner worth of the hero.[8] Commonly, these tales revolve around the maltreated hero coming into his or her own. This can reflect a wish-fulfillment dream, or symbolically embody a profound transformation.[9]

In the Lone Wolfgamebooks, the Dark Lords are an entire race of powerful evil beings.[11] The protagonists of the Overlord video game franchise are classic Dark Lords in the vein of Sauron. The Dark Lord is usually seen as unmarried, though there has been occasion when one has attempted to claim a bride.

In fantasy, magic often has an overwhelming presence, although its precise nature is delineated in the book in which it appears. It can appear in a fantasy world (as in Lord of the Rings or Shannara), or in a fantasy land that is part of reality but insulated from the mundane lands (as in Xanth), or as a hidden element in real life (as in The Dresden Files).[13]

A common trope is that the ability to work magic is innate and rare. As a consequence the person who uses it, usually called a magician, wizard, sorcerer, warlock, mage, or magus, is a common figure in fantasy.[14] Another feature is the magic item, which can endow characters with magical abilities that are not innate, or enhance the abilities of the innately powerful. Among the most common are magic swords and magic rings.

Self-fulfilling prophecies are amongst the most common forms of magic because they are an often used plot device. Often the very effort undertaken to avert them brings them about, thus driving the story. It is very rare for a prophecy in a fantasy to be simply false, although usually their significance is clear only with hindsight. Quibbles can undermine the clearest appearing prophecies.[15]

In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, J. R. R. Tolkien minimized use of the word magic; beings who use such abilities tend to be confused when they are described this way by others. In the Star Wars franchise, the Jedi employ the use of the Force, an essentially magical power, that grants mystical abilities and heightened senses and skills to whoever wields it.

In science fiction stories, psionics are used to provide characters with abilities that are usually seen in fantasy works and, if called magic, would make the story fantasy instead of science fiction.[16]

Many creatures seen in fantasy fiction are drawn from the folklore of Europe, and the romances of medieval Europe. Dragons and unicorns are among the most popular creatures. Other monsters, such as griffins, giants, and goblins also appear. Races of intelligent beings such as elves, dwarves, and gnomes often draw their history from medieval or pre-Christian roots. Characteristics of the hero and heroine also frequently draw on these sources as well.

The full width and breadth of the medieval era is seldom drawn upon. Governments, for instance, tend to be feudalistic evil empires or oligarchies, and are usually corrupt, despite the greater variety of the actual Middle Ages.[17] Settings also tend to be medieval in economy, with many fantasy worlds disproportionately pastoral.[18]

These settings are typical of epic fantasy and, to a lesser extent, of sword and sorcery — which contains more urban settings — than of fantasy in general; the preponderance of epic fantasy in the genre has made them fantasy commonplaces. They are less typical of contemporary fantasy, especially urban fantasy.

Other races include orcs, which J. R. R. Tolkien popularized in Lord of The Rings. As of 2014[update] they appear in many fantasy worlds, often depicted as large, green brutish creatures with more muscle than brains[citation needed]

Other races include various humanoid creatures that appear like animals, such as wolves, bears, boars and other animal species.[citation needed]